MIES (Switzerland) – The Basketball Champions League is in its sixth season, and it is looking like the strongest one so far. It seems impossible to guess which team is going to win it, but our Power Rankings are here to help you out.

We are trying to sort these teams out by their overall form, not just their BCL record. That means that their domestic league results are also taken into account, because you’ll feel better about a team that won 10 straight games overall, than about a team that won two BCL games, but lost eight games in their own championship.

Reminder: These are not the official rankings. Power Rankings are just here to reflect on a team’s current form.

Banco di Sardegna Sassari

Thanks for the memories, Sassari! Get stronger, book another trip to the BCL, see you next year, right? Right.

Kalev/Cramo

Thanks for the memories, Kalev/Cramo! Get stronger, book another trip to the BCL, see you next year, right? Right.

EWE Baskets Oldenburg

Oldenburg are on a five game losing streak in all competitions, they have gone 1-12 over their last 13 games, and now they have to beat Besiktas in Istanbul by 2 or more to advance. Not a good position for the German squad.

Happy Casa Brindisi

So, if you’re Happy Casa Brindisi, are you happy (casa) that you scored 90+ in consecutive games last week? Or, are you unhappy (casa) that you also allowed 90+ points in consecutive games last week? Good news for Brindisi, they own the tiebreaker over Darussafaka, so a win over Holon paired with a Dacka defeat to Cluj would send Brindisi through.

Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod are still alive, and if they defeat JDA Dijon, while Lavrio drop a game to Unicaja, BC NN would be through to the next round. But this really hasn’t been a season of fine Nizhny Novgorod basketball. They are allowing 117.7 points per 100 possessions, giving them an increase of 10 points allowed more than last season. Maybe that overtime win over Lokomotiv Kuban sparks something special for Nizhny Novgorod…

Arged BM Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski

Here, we did the math for you. Arged BM Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski will finish:

• second, if they win by 14 or more vs Karsiyaka, and Jerusalem lose at Manresa
• third, if they win and Jerusalem lose at Manresa
• third, if they win by 3 or more v Karsiyaka, and Jerusalem win at Manresa
• fourth, if they lose v Karsiyaka
• fourth, if they win by 2 points or less, and Jersualem win at Manresa.

Sounds like an easy task to achieve…

Lavrio Megabolt

Good news? They finally ended their seven game losing streak across all competitions. Bad news? They’ve got Unicaja in town next. Need a win to be sure they are through, otherwise they’ll need JDA Dijon’s help against Nizhny Novgorod.

VEF Riga

Jalen Riley hit the biggest shot of VEF Riga’s season, and says it was one of his finest moments as a pro player, ranking it right next to that time when he hit the game-winner while playing in France. Which is kinda ironic, since VEF Riga already know they will have to win on the road in France to reach the Round of 16. That’s because VEF are locked in third placed in their group, while JDA Dijon are second in the other group, giving us our first confirmed Play-In Pairing.

Besiktas Icrypex

This is what the first game looked like. Now, Besiktas need more of the same against EWE Baskets Oldenburg, because a defeat means they are probably out of the BCL for 2021-22. They have gone through a lot of changes to stay alive, the last one being Kenan Sipahi coming back to the club, trying to get more continental attention for the black-and-white part of Istanbul.

Prometey

The champions of Ukraine already know they are number three seed in Group A. They will need to wait another week to find out who’s going to be on the other side of their Play-In pairing, with a solid chance it’s going to be one of the big names of the BCL in Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem or Pinar Karsiyaka. Not the easiest of all debut seasons in this competition, nope.、

ERA Nymburk

Czech champs have only one math going on in their matchup with Galatasaray Nef. They win, they are through. They lose, they are out. This competition takes no prisoners, I tell you…

PAOK mateco

They win, they are second. They lose, they are third, as long as ERA Nymburk don’t win against Galatasaray. They lose, Nymburk win, they are out. It’s going to come down to rebounds against Igokea m:tel – PAOK are the top ranked defensive rebounding team in all of BCL, getting 66.9 percent of all defensive rebounds available.

Igokea m:tel

So, how are Igokea supposed to battle PAOK’s league leading defensive rebounding? How about with their own league leading offensive rebounding! Igokea grab 34 percent of all available offensive rebounds, giving them second chances throughout 40 minutes. They will finish second with a win, third with a defeat plus Nymburk’s defeat, fourth with a defeat plus Nymburk’s win.

Darussafaka

At the same time, Darussafaka are the team that turns the ball over the most in the BCL, while also being the team that steals the ball the most in the BCL, too. That tells you all about their roller coaster season so far – it could be over if they lose to Cluj, and Brindisi defeat Holon on the road. That doesn’t sound too probable, right? Right??? RIGHT!?!?

Filou Oostende

The Belgian champs are no longer the defensive minded team that’s happy to win the game by scoring in 60s. Oostende are now a well oiled machine, getting 118.0 points per 100 possessions, third best mark in the entire BCL. If they find a six-point win on the road in Strasbourg, they will take the second seed in the group, meaning they get home court advantage in the Play-In Series in January.

Pinar Karsiyaka

Last season, they got to the Final of the Basketball Champions League by having fourth best defensive rating of all the teams that went deep into the season. This season, they allow 114 points per 100 possessions, making them the fifth worst defense in the BCL, a whole six points more than what they allow in the Turkish League. It’s been a weird season for KSK, another defeat in Poland could mean it’s the end.

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem

You know how you can tell that Hapoel are back to their very best? Because their photos sound loud. Bringing back Suleiman Braimoh was a good call, Jalen Adams is a legit MVP contender, Retin Obasohan has found another gear to his game since Yotam Halperin took over, it’s just a completely different vibe to their start to the season. They are already through to the Play-In series, they could also get home court advantage against Prometey if they beat Manresa

Nutribullet Treviso

Not that long ago, they were a 3-0 team with a chance to advance to the Round of 16 on Gameday 4. Then, they lost a close one in Hungary. Then, they lost a close one in Latvia. Now, they are no longer in pole position in the group, meaning they need a couple of things to go their way – Treviso win, Falco lose – to finish first in the group. Coach Massimiliano Menetti isn’t in panic mode yet, he said this slump was to be expected after four months of excruciating schedule. They need a (coffee) break。

source：FIBA